EPA: Total US Greenhouse Gas Emissions Rose 0.8% in 2005; Transportation Up 1.6%

16 April 2007

GHG emissions by the four end-use sectors, plus electrical generation. Click to enlarge.

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released the current national greenhouse gas inventory, which finds that net overall emissions—factoring in sources and sinks—rose 0.83% in 2005 from 2004 to 6,431.9 Tg CO2e. Emissions from transportation rose 1.6% during the same period to 1,897.9 Tg. Transportation continues to be the largest contributor of the four end-use sectors.

The report, Inventory of US Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990-2005, was published after gathering comments from a broad range of stakeholders across the country.

The report indicates that net emissions (sources and sinks) have grown by 16.3% from 1990 to 2005, while the US economy has grown by 55% over the same period. The greenhouse gas intensity of the economy is decreasing—i.e, the carbon efficiency per unit GDP is increasing—although the absolute amount of emissions continues to climb.

Transportation activities (excluding international bunker fuels) accounted for 33% of CO2 emissions from fossil fuel combustion in 2005. Virtually all of the energy consumed in this end use sector came from petroleum products. More than 60% of the emissions resulted from gasoline consumption for personal vehicle use. The remaining emissions came from other transportation activities, including the combustion of diesel fuel in heavy-duty vehicles and jet fuel in aircraft.

Transportation emissions grew by 29.4% during the 1990-2005 period—for a CAGR of 1.7%—and accounted for approximately 41% of the growth in energy-related CO2 emissions from all sectors.

Within the transportation sector, highway emissions have grown 34.4% during the 15-year period, while highway vehicle kilometers traveled increased by 39.4%, according to data from the Federal Highway Traffic Safety Administration. While transportation is thus proving more efficient, it still is delivering an on-going increase in emissions.

EPA prepares the annual report in collaboration with multiple federal agencies. This report is the latest in an annual set of reports that the United States submits to the Secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Comments

It is pretty apparent that the electrification of the ground transport will solve the so called GHG problem. Converting to PHEVs will reduce petroleum consumption by some 50-60%, of the GHG carbon. Ppollution emmission control of the railroads is only beginning.

Building more non-Carbon electrical generation would contribute to reducing the essentially flat Carbon emissions from that source. All the others are essentially flat.

It is significant that the US economy is 55% larger than 1990 but industrial CO2 emissions are the SAME!

The conversion of ground transport would reduce Carbon outpurt to well below not only 1990 as Kyoto wanted, but to 1940 levels before atmsopheric CO2 started to climb. Without the annual addition, the CO2 will start faling out of the atmosphere, decling to lower levels.

Stan-
My guess is that CO2 in the US has not risen much due to a significant portion of the heavy industrial product is now manufactured in overseas countries. The CO2 associated with our product consumption has shifted to a location not monitored in the report. But our increased automotive use is monitored in the report and it shows!

One way to look at peak oil and CO2 is we can solve both problems with the same solutions. Use less oil by using cleaner technologies. We have more oil for later on, few conflicts over scarce resources, less instability and disruption to world economies, less power in the hands of fewer fanatic people, cleaner air and less CO2.

It depends on the transport. I expect eventualy as industrial lith ion pops up 18 wheelers will pop up outfitted in 4-800 kwh batter arrays.

I expect most city cars will be sporting 30-50 mile range [acks and a tiny genset or fuel cell for range extending.
I do however ex[ect the bulk will be exand bx biofueled/coal liquid fueled cars that will both be rather spendy due to milage tech andextremely limiyd due to milafe regs. And finaly high prf h2 andev cars and likely various other ev and g2 variants that all sidestep cafe and pollution regs.

Oh and yes even if they go gangbusters ti fight a war on c;i,ate change.. we will all be driving cars made to handle weather current cars dont need to.